Like walking into a fairy-tale
You can do a lot in two hours. You can watch four episodes of Friends.
You can watch two episodes of Game of
Thrones. You can cook twelve bags of pasta. You can listen to six Ted talks. You can probably waste two whole hours scrolling through
social media, let's be honest.
You can also go to
Belgium from London. In just two hours you can be transported into a world of
Medieval architecture, world-famous paintings, waffles, chocolate, beer… and EU flags.
I did just that. For the
last four days I have been packing in all the artiness a girl
could get in three of Belgium’s most historical towns. Here’s what I saw…
Bruges
Nowadays Bruges is
perhaps most famous as the setting for the Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
dark comedy In Bruges. But for us art
lovers it’s also one of the centres of the Northern Renaissance. For anyone
interested in medieval history, it is a must see. Even if you’re not a big
history buff, it’s also, simply, beautiful. From its cobbled streets to jagged
roofs, it is like walking into a fairy-tale.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
Our first stop was the
Historium. Rather than just a normal museum telling the history of Bruges, it mainly
focuses on the city’s most famous artwork, Jan Van Eyck’s The Madonna of Canon Van der Paele. The whole museum is structured
as a tour, which leads visitors through the making the of the artwork, with
interactive rooms, showing everything from the behind-the-scenes of Van Eyck’s
workshop to the sights and smells of the docks in 15th century
Bruges. The fictitious storyline of the video accompanying the tour was pretty
odd, and, at worst, distracting from the true value of the Van Eyck painting,
but would undoubtedly appeal to kids. At the end of the tour is a balcony
offering a great view over the square, as well as a virtual reality experience
offering an amazing insight into historical Bruges.
Next door to the
Historium is the Beer Museum. Although we didn’t have time to actually go into
the museum, we did check out the shop which, as well as having pretty spot-on décor, offers a range of beers made in Bruges,
alongside homemade Belgian cheeses and biscuits.
 |
| Beer |
 |
| Add caption |
Unfortunately the
Memlingmuseum was closed for maintenance when I tried to go, which is a real
shame considering it houses Hans Memling’s amazing St John Altarpiece. However, we could still walk around the
courtyards of the St John’s Hospital, the location for which the painting was
made and where it stays to this day.
 |
| Add caption |
Next up was Choco-Story. The narrow four floor building will tick off all your steps for
the day and reward you with chocolate tasters throughout, as well as telling
you all about the history of chocolate production from the Aztecs to the
present day. Although the history is, obviously, very interesting, the main
attraction is of course the kitchen
on the bottom floor, where you are shown each step of the chocolate making
process, and get to taste your very own Belgian chocolate at the end.
 |
| Chocolate sculptures in Choco-Story |
Our final museum in
Bruges was the Groeninge Museum which houses the Van der Paele piece as well as some other Netherlandish
masterpieces, including Rogier Van Der Weyden’s St Luke Drawing the Virgin. It’s a pretty fascinating history of
art walking through these halls which lead us through Belgian (and other
European artworks) from the 15th to 20th century,
although the earliest artworks probably still draw in the largest crowds.
 |
| Jan Van Eyck's Madonna of Canon Van Der Paele |
Whilst down by the
museum, another major attraction is the Church of Our Lady. Not only is it a
pretty phenomenal sight, but it also houses Michelangelo’s Virgin and Child as well as the tombs of Mary of Burgundy and
Charles the Bold.
We stayed: In the Hotel
Aragon, which is in a perfect location, a street or two away from the main
square and an easy walk to everything. The service, breakfast and rooms were
lovely.
We ate: A lot of
Deliveroo, to be honest, because it was so
cold at night. We did discover Ellis Gourmet Burger, a chain restaurant
across Belgium and the Netherlands, which has just brought out an incredible
vegan burger, that could easily replace beef without anyone noticing.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
Ghent
Ghent is the largest city we visited, and artistically, houses probably the most famous of the artworks we saw. Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece was made specifically for the St Bavo's Cathedral. Although it is reportedly the most stolen and coveted artwork in history, it has been returned to the cathedral and can be viewed there today.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Ghent |
The altarpiece is
perhaps most famous for the depictions of Adam and Eve, as well as the sacred
lamb in the lower half. It is currently in quite a dark, dank, cramped room off
the main nave, which I think takes away from the artworks real splendour.
However, it is being refurbished and being readied for a much grander
room where it is due to be moved next year.
Outside the cathedral is
a magnificent sculpture dedicated to Jan, and his brother Hubert – who also
worked on the altarpiece- for their huge contribution to art, and, particularly
to the tourism industry in Ghent!
 |
| With Jan and Hubert Van Eyck's statue |
We also visited the
Museum of Fine Arts which largely houses works from the 14th to 19th
century, however, it has a sprinkle of contemporary artworks and installations
throughout, which really adds to the general experience of viewing old and new
artworks together. This is also where the Ghent Altarpiece is being restored, and they have a whole exhibit which allows you to see the behind the scenes, which is an amazing insight into painting conservation.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
We stayed: In the
Holiday Inn Express, which is a bit further outside the city, but makes quite a
difference to the price! It ended up being a great location, which was just an
easy tram ride away from the centre. Breakfast was amazing and added to our
Belgian experience with a waffle maker.
 |
| The theatre |
 |
| Add caption |
Mechelen
The Grote Markt in Mechelen is a beautiful cobbled market square, with buildings dating back to the 13th century. The whole town is dominated by St Rumbold's Tower which can be seen from all around.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
In the centre of the
square is a statue of Margaret of Austria, the 15th century princess
who brought prestige and power to the city when she moved her court there, and
brought ambassadors from all over the world to her magnificent palace. Her
palace can still be seen from the outside and has a beautiful courtyard, but
has now been turned into a courthouse.
Unfortunately, Mechelen
shouldn’t be fully enjoyed without understanding and appreciating its
involvement in the Holocaust. There is a large Holocaust Museum dedicated to the
transportations that happened out of Mechelen. On the street from where the
trains would leave is a single carriage on train tracks, a solemn reminder that
despite the beauty of this town, there is a dark shadow over its history.
 |
| Add caption |
A surprising hit in
Mechelen is their museum. The Museum Hof Van Busleyden is perhaps one of the
best museums I have ever been to (and, in case you haven’t noticed, I go to a
lot of museums). Firstly, the building is medieval and beautiful from the
outside, and then, amazingly modern and minimalist inside. It is also
incredibly successful in how interactive it is. In each room, a little gold box
can be opened to reveal something exciting to do with the artworks and ideas on
show, from a spinning slideshow to a card game about the Burgundian family
tree. There are also huge touch screens to get more information on the key
players in Mechelen history. There is even a room playing orchestral symphonies
to relate to Margaret of Austria’s love for music. Upstairs, there is a room
just for sharing ideas, complete with the comfiest sofas ever and a virtual
reality experience.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Museum Hof Van Busleyden |
We Stayed: In the Hotel Elisabeth which was the ideal location. It had a beautiful decor, lovely staff and quirky signs such as "Don't come in unless you're Brad Pitt."
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Hotel Elisabeth |
It is fair to say we
packed it in over the last few days. My brain is exploding with art and
knowledge whilst my tummy is exploding with Belgian chocolate.
You May Also Like...
